


I'll conquer the world

by elletromil



Series: For you [2]
Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: Ambiguously dark characters, Dark!Harry, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-09
Updated: 2016-06-26
Packaged: 2018-03-29 19:32:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3907963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elletromil/pseuds/elletromil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Let me guess, while Arthur understand my recommendations to use lethal force, she still feels the situation would benefit if it was dealt in a less violent way."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Roxy (I'm only joking)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bulletproof_gentleman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bulletproof_gentleman/gifts).



> Hello my darlings!
> 
> As you can see I'm back with another fic in the "Hold my hand" universe. You can thank Gent and the marvelous fanmix (http://8tracks.com/bulletproof-gentleman/hold-my-hand) she made for this.
> 
> So yeah, there will be for part focusing on a different character and because I thought it would be more fun that way I'm writing this in a reverse chronological timeline, so if the first two chapters take place after Hold my hand, the last two ones will take place before. Also each part is inspired by one of the song in the fanmix, so that's where I got the tittle for each chapter.
> 
> So yeah, I think that's it, I'll let you read!

For one of the first time in Kingsman history the alarms start ringing in the estate.

What surprises Roxy however isn’t the sudden loud noise, but rather the lack of surprise from her companion. When the siren starts, Percival merely closes the report he had been reading and calmly looks in her direction.

“So what do you want to do?”

And really she doesn’t know why she expected anything else from her dad. He always has been unflappable and he’s been in the business far too long not to have doubts something like this was bound to happen soon.

She herself had needed a heads-up a couple of weeks ago, but it was mostly because she kept being sent away on missions and only had a few rushed conversations in the last few months with people other than Arthur. Roxy is pretty sure that, had they had the time to hang out, she would have glean something from Eggsy, no matter how good at hiding things he has become. They’re best friends for a reason.

But they had both been at other sides of the globe these past months and, without knowledge of the current situation at HQ, she would have been caught unprepared. Something Harry had suspected and, in respect of her friendship with Eggsy, he had had the decency to remedy to.

Roxy had been surprised to see the traitor in her apartment that night, but she had known better than to engage him in a fight. If the man had managed to put Bors in a hospital, she had no illusions he could have wiped the floor with her.

But the man had only been there as a courtesy, because she was close to Eggsy. Or rather, _his boy_ as he kept calling him and it said a lot about her that she only found Harry’s possessiveness cute rather than creepy.

So, without going into the details, he had tell her that something was being planned concerning Kingsman that would be in effect soon. She would have to make a choice at that time, or earlier if she felt the need to warn Arthur.

Then Harry had left as if this had all been a friendly talk around tea and not an implicit threat should she happen to be in his way when the time came. Her friendship with Eggsy would only get her so much protection.

And maybe she should have went to Arthur with her information, but she knew deep down that not only would it change absolutely nothing, but also that Arthur would never believe Kingsman being in true danger from Harry even if the man managed to gain a few supporters.

So she had kept silent and postpone making a decision until she absolutely needed to.

She wishes for a second that Percival would have made the decision for her, but she knows that her father would have never done so. He hasn’t become a part of Kingsman to make decisions, but because it gave him the opportunity to use his many talents in all impunity. Even if James had still been alive, she knows her daddy would also have let her make the choice that would affect their little family.

Roxy finally gets up from her seat, not because she’s reached a decision, but because whatever happens, she can’t stay in this study forever.

When she opens the door, she barely has the time to see a blur of movement that she recognize as Merlin rushing past her and turning at the end of the corridor. A minute later, some member of Kingsman’s security personnel comes running after the handler. “Merlin’s gone rogue!” he manages to warn the two agents before he gets past them.

She wouldn’t worry for Merlin, the handler is easily Knight’s material and would normally have nothing to fear from a member of Kingsman’s security, however good they might be, but she catches a glimpse of some weapon prototype in the hands of the guard. She doesn’t know how he came into its possession, nor does she really care, but from Merlin’s excited descriptions of what it should do the last time she hang out in the R&D department with him, it won’t matter how good Merlin is, he’s not getting out of it alive.

The guard never reaches the end of the corridor. There’s a loud bang resounding over the sound of the alarms before the man falls on the floor like a puppet that got its strings cut.

She keeps her gun in hand while Percival takes one of his out and without consulting each other, they make their way in the direction they’ve seen Merlin flee.

Time to go help their friends.


	2. Merlin (Voodoo Child)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm finally back with Merlin's chapter, I am sorry for the wait, a lot of things happened during those last months and I'm writing several fics at the same time.
> 
> Hopefully it will be worth the wait and with any luck, I'll be quicker in writing Eggsy and Harry's chapters.

In the end, Merlin pieces it all together by himself.

He wishes he could say that something Eggsy said or did was what made him start suspecting things weren’t exactly as they seemed, but it hasn’t been the case. In fact, Eggsy’s behavior had been a major factor as to why it had taken Merlin so long to discover the truth, because it had been exactly what was needed to make Merlin forget his own doubts in favor of his worries over the boy.

Merlin has to give it to him, Eggsy _is_ good at what he does and only a small part of it is Harry’s coaching.

Nevertheless, if there is something you learn quickly in the spy business, it’s that if one coincidence is suspicious, two down right impossible, three and more are a bloody pattern.

It really shouldn’t have taken as long to Merlin to realise that every time Eggsy had what seemed to be a chance meeting with Harry on one of his mission, it always was when he was dealing with the kind of unsavory characters Harry loathed. Oh, he had noticed the way Harry seemed to orchestrate it all so the new Galahad had no choices but to go on a killing spree, but he had merely thought it was a tactic to trouble the boy so he would have a harder time following him once he made it out of wherever he was at the time.

Sometimes Merlin forgets that his agents are, when you get down to it, trained killers. It might not be their favourite part of the job, but one does not get far in the spy business if one is squeamish about ending a life or ten.

But in his defense, Merlin knows that Eggsy’s distress when Harry first went rogue had been quite real. Which was why he hadn’t want the boy going dark that first time he had stumbled upon Harry on one of his mission. Who knew what the boy would do and how Harry would react. He should have know that even if his old friend had gone completely off the far end, Eggsy was never in any danger from him.

He should have been more suspicious when Eggsy’s glasses had met an unfortunate end the next time he had seen his former mentor. Not that it would have changed the current situation in any way, except that he would be feeling a bit less of a fool.

“By all means, please make yourself at home,” Merlin quips when he enters his study to find Harry Hart already seated in one of the chairs, two glasses of scotch waiting on the table.

Merlin scoffs at Harry’s answering smirk, but it lacks the usual scorn. He will never admit it aloud, but he did miss the bastard.

He sits down in front of him and raises his glass in a silent toast. To what, they don’t bother saying.

“You could have told me what you were planning,” Merlin finally breaks the silence after a while.

“Can you honestly tell me you wouldn’t have tried to stop me at the time?”

Merlin would like to say that no, he wouldn’t have, but their friendship is based on honesty. At the time, he had thought Arthur was just being overly cautious, preferring to avoid any true confrontation between her agents and whoever had been on their radar. Now he knows otherwise.

Harry’s way might not be one he would have considered, but he cannot deny it is yielding results. After V-Day, it’s high time to get out of the shadows so that criminals know there is always someone watching.

“But you told the boy.” It’s not a reproach, Merlin is just curious.

“Trust me, I didn’t plan on it. But he was rather persistent in his pursuit.” Merlin’s amused snort interrupts him long enough for the two men to exchange a knowing smile over such an understatement. “And truthfully, I needed him to understand why I did it all.”

He doesn’t need to explain further, because he has long since find out what had been Harry’s trigger for going rogue.

“What would you have done if he hadn’t? Or if even though he understood, he would still have tried to stop you?” He already has some doubts as to his friend’s answer, but he needs to hear it. It’s the only way he’ll know for sure his friend truly is as sane as he claims to be.

“I would have surrendered. My work would have little meaning if Eggsy had found it distasteful in any way.”

“Oh bloody hell, you’ll rot my teeth!” He shakes his head in exasperation, but cannot quite hide his grin. Harry has always been a romantic at heart and it’s great to see it hasn’t change. “So I guess you’ll be making a move at HQ soon if you’re paying me a visit. Want me to probe the Knights for you?”

“A kind offer, but I trust Eggsy’s judgment.” Merlin raises an eyebrow in surprise at that. Of course he knows Eggsy is as good an agent as any of the other Knights, but it’s the first time Harry admitted to trusting anyone else but Merlin. He’ll need to have a shovel talk with Eggsy as soon as they’re done with whatever Harry has planned for Arthur and whoever will make the mistake of following her, but he’s glad Harry is finally opening himself to someone else. He deserves a bit of happiness. “But if it wouldn’t be too much to ask, I would greatly appreciate if you were to disable the security around the mansion grounds in two weeks time.”

“Of course Harry, do you need anything else?”

He takes a moment before answering in the negative. “I prefer not to plan overly for these kind of situation… But if you could tell me when agent Lancelot is due from her last mission, I would like to pay her a visit.”

Merlin manages to stop a warning growl, but his eyes still narrows dangerously. “And what do you want with her.”

Harry’s chuckle at his reaction is a bit reassuring, but Merlin still doesn’t relax. “Ah, Merlin don’t fret. I just want to give her ample warning about what is to come.”

“And why is that?”

“Well partly because Eggsy would be devastated if anything happened to her, but also because I would hate to see you turn against me because I had to hurt her to get her out of the way.”

He opens his mouth to say that whatever Harry is imagining, things between him and Roxy aren’t like this, but the other man looks at him knowingly. “I had forgotten how infuriating you could be.” How Harry knows about his infatuation for the young woman is beyond him. It couldn’t be because he noticed before he went rogue, because Merlin wasn’t even aware he liked Roxy more than what was truly proper for a handler toward their agent until a couple months ago.

“Says the man who reminded me that any relationship with a candidate was prohibited right after the first test.”

“It’s not my fault you wouldn’t know subtlety if it bit you in the arse Hart. A bit more and you would have been drooling when we revised the footage of that test.” At Harry’s smirk, he instantly knows he’ll regret his teasing.

“It did make for good wanking material.”

Merlin groans in exasperation, trying to remember why exactly he’s willing to betray the organisation he’s worked for the better part of his life for such a rubbish friend.


	3. Eggsy (Angel)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, it's been a long time. At least it wasn't a whole year? *goes to hide inside a hole and let you all read*

Not being on his guard when he enters his hotel room is a rookie mistake and Eggsy has no excuses for it. One might argue that his encounter with Harry earlier would be one, except Eggsy knows by now that seeing the rogue agent always leaves him a bit unbalanced and that only means he should have been even more cautious.

At least, no one will ever know how easily it was for his former mentor to get the drop on him since his glasses have met an unfortunate end in the fight earlier today. He had done it on purpose, believing Harry would be more likely to talk to him without Kingsman listening in, but of course the other man had been long gone when Eggsy had finally killed all of the guards attacking him.

He never expected to see him kneeling in front of the mini-bar, his expression making it clear he was disapproving of the selection offered. Eggsy might or might not scream in surprise, but he definitely draws his gun on him, not that Harry seems particularly bothered by it.

“Jesus fuck Harry! What are you doing here?”

The other man gets up from the floor unhurriedly, brushing some imaginary dirt from his trouser and raises an amused eyebrow at the weapon still pointed in his direction. But Eggsy doesn’t waver even if he knows that he probably doesn’t stand a chance against the man if he wanted to do him any harm. What he did to Bors is proof enough of how dangerous he can be.

“I assumed you wanted a private discussion after your little stunt with the glasses.”

Eggsy doesn’t curse out loud, but it’s a near thing. He had thought he had made it look pretty natural when he had lost his glasses and “accidentally” stepped on it. He could only hope Merlin wouldn’t have caught on it or the handler would kill him. If he was left alive after that discussion that is.

“I assumed you were not interested when you left,” he ends up replying before the silence can stretch for too long.

“There were unfortunately some underlings to take care of outside of the base,” he explains as he sits down on the sofa, still not paying any mind to the weapon pointed at him, acting like this is just another friendly chat. “Believe me Eggsy, I would have loved nothing more than to stay and watch you dispose of these poor excuse of men.”

His lips curl in disgust at that last part and had it been anyone else, Eggsy would have expected him to spit on the ground from the mere memory. But of course, Harry Hart, gone rogue or not, is still a gentleman and he does nothing of the sort. He seems to shake the distasteful memory of those men easily enough however, his eyes growing fond again as he takes Eggsy in. There’s something else in their depth too, a glint of longing, like a man standing in front of an oasis after spending forty years in the desert and Eggsy can’t quite suppress the shiver coursing his body at the weight of that gaze on him.

“You can put the gun down you know; I promise no harm will come to you by my hand.”

It’s not exactly reassuring, because it only removes Harry from the equation, but he very much doubt his former mentor would let anyone hurt him. And if he’s being honest with himself, Eggsy doesn’t want to fight with Harry, not now, not ever.

He might come to regret it later, but he still ends up lowering his gun.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Eggsy visibly cringes at how pathetic he sounds. Harry doesn’t owe any explanation, doesn’t owe him shit, no matter what his presence in his room could imply. The opposite, Eggsy owing everything to him, is far more accurate. “Don’t answer that, I- just, never mind.” He’s starting to think Harry had the right idea looking for alcohol, because he really needs a drink. Good thing he always bring a bottle of the good stuff with him in his luggage when he has the chance to.

“Oh, I _will_ answer you, but I must say I am surprised your first question is not about why I’m doing this.”

Eggsy snorts inelegantly, but glancing away from the inside his suitcase, where he just can’t seem to find his Scotch, and getting a good look at Harry’s expression is all it takes to make it clear the other man is honestly curious.

“Really? You’re actually asking me this?” Harry’s expression doesn’t change and Eggsy lets out a humourless chuckle. “You don’t held my intelligence in high esteem then.” He gives up on the Scotch and lets himself fall on the bed instead. “Jesus Harry, it’s clear enough that you got fed up with Arthur’s insistence of dealing with things according to the book, when Kingsman usually work outside of it. That pedo you butchered was just the last straw.”

Harry seems even more surprised after Eggsy’s explanation and it would sting, but Eggsy soon realises that it’s less surprise and more honest to God _admiration_. It’s reminiscent of the way he had looked at him that day when he had mentioned My Fair Lady, but there’s even more affection in it, as if Eggsy is not only full of surprises, but something precious and amazing.

“You don’t seem… _troubled_ by what I did,” Harry says after a while. He’s looking carefully at Eggsy’s expression, as if looking for any kind of deceit, but he won’t find any.

Eggsy shrugs in answer. Sure what Harry did to that man was downright vicious, but he won’t pretend he wouldn’t have done the same. “I saw the recommendation you gave Arthur,” not that he was supposed to, but it’s not his fault Harry had left the folder on his desk and the head of Kingsman had seen nothing wrong in letting him clean up his former mentor office. _Cathartic_ , he remembers her calling it and he rolls his eyes at the memory. At least Merlin hadn’t been fooled into thinking Eggsy had been after anything else but some clues as to what would push Harry to go rogue. “Assassination would have been the best call.”

It really would have been and it has nothing to do with the fact Eggsy has no qualms about offing known pedophiles. Even if that last fact was why he had not been horrified when he had seen the pictures of what had been left of the man after Harry had been done with him.

“You really don’t mind,” the awe is back in Harry’s voice and he keeps on looking at Eggsy as if he’s the Eighth Wonder of the world or something.

“I don’t know how many I killed since I’ve started working for Kingsman Harry, but with V-Day, I must have one of the highest count, what with that stunt with the chip.” Sure, Merlin had been the one who flipped the switch on that one so to speak, but Eggsy had been the one coming up with the idea. “They were all jerks, but not all of them had deserved to get their head exploded.”

Not that it makes him lose any sleep at night. He knows that says a lot about him, but he’s never pretended he was a good man. You don’t get into this business to be nice, but so that others can stay that way. The only real difference between him and the ones he is sent to stop is a difference in ideology.

They stay silent for a long time after that, but it’s not uncomfortable, Instead it’s full of a new understanding between the two men.

“I didn’t want to put you in a position where you would be forced to choose,” the words are nearly whispered and Harry seems to have some difficulty getting them out, as if he never expected to need telling them. “Kingsman truly is your calling and you have worked so hard for it. But I also know you can be loyal to a fault,” he pauses there for a moment and they both remember the words Eggsy had told the previous Arthur, the ones Harry had heard thanks to Merlin showing him the footage. _I’d rather be with Harry_. “I didn’t want you to throw it all away.”

It suddenly dawns on Eggsy that unlike what everyone thinks of Harry, that the reason he went rogue is not so much because the traumatic events of V-Day has made him more prone to violence, but instead, he’s betrayed Kingsman for the exact same reason Eggsy can live perfectly well with his decision to work for the organisation. He’s trying to protect others, so they don’t have to get their hands dirty.

“You’re a fucking idiot.”

Harry starts protesting, but Eggsy doesn’t care enough to listen.

“No, no you really are.” He’s up at this point, pacing back and forth in front of Harry, not allowing him to interrupt his rant. “Sure what you’ve been doing lately is a bit more involved than what Kingsman is used to, but with how the whole world has gone to shite, it’s what needs to be done. Kingsman should have step up its game right after V-Day and maybe then you wouldn’t have to go all vigilante on criminals’ arses. Sure I would have followed, but only because you are _right_. Give me some fucking credit here, I swear, it’s like you think I can’t make a decision by myself.”

 _That_ more than anything else is what hurts him the most. The fact that Harry doesn’t trust him to choose for himself and not out of some feeling of obligation or whatever utter shite he’s been thinking.

Before he can say anything more however, Harry has grabbed him by the wrist and tugged him so that he’s now straddling him on the sofa. That’s something right out of many of his fantasies, but right now Eggsy is too furious to even blush at their position.

He tries to bite Harry’s hand when he reaches out to cup his jaw, but Harry is faster and tug on his hair with his other hand before he can close his teeth on the skin. He moans, but not in pain, and smirk when the other man’s pupils dilate and he gets that considering look for a moment before shaking himself out of it. Eggsy pouts in disappointment, but at least the hand in his hair stays where it is.

“Dear boy,” he doesn’t bother suppressing the shivers the endearment causes. Anyway, it’s not like Harry doesn’t know already how he feels about him. They might have never said anything, but they are both perfectly aware of where their relationship was heading before Harry started his little crusade against the criminals of the world. “You are perfectly right, I should have trusted you to make your own decision. Do you think you can forgive me for trying to protect you when you clearly don’t need me to?”

“Depends,” comes his petulant answer.

“On what?” Harry asks after it becomes clear Eggsy won’t volunteer the information without being prompted.

“Two things,” he starts, settling more comfortably on the other man’s lap. “First, we figure a way for me to help you and maybe force Kingsman to do some well-needed changes.”

This time, when Harry reaches to caress his cheek as if in worship, Eggsy doesn’t try to bite him and actually leans into the contact. He knows the roads he wants to take won’t be easy, but he’s seriously tired of Arthur’s bullshit and now that he’s been reunited with Harry and it’s obvious the man isn’t crazy, but simply prepared to do whatever it takes to protect the innocents, Eggsy doesn’t want to leave him ever again.

Of course, he knows already that he’ll probably have too, sooner rather than later, but they’ll figure something out the two of them.

“What’s the second?”

“Second thing…” He stops, feeling heady at the way Harry hangs on his every word, but never trying to rush him, the way he lets Eggsy be in control when they both know Harry could overpower him at anytime. He turns his head slightly to kiss the palm of his hand before finishing his conditions. “Well, it depends on how long it takes you before you get me on that bed and fuck me.”

Eggsy won’t ever be able to say which he prefered; the growl Harry let out at that or the display of strength when the man got up from the sofa with him in his arms as if he weighed nothing more than a feather.

*

It’s much later, when they are both laying in bed completely spent, Eggsy shivering at the gentle strokes of Harry’s fingers on the sensitive skin of his hips where the imprints of his hands have already start blossoming, that he finds the courage to ask the question that had been burning his lips.

“What if... What if I hadn’t been okay with it? I mean, what if it had all been a trap?”

It takes so long before Harry answers that Eggsy thinks maybe he’s fallen asleep.

“Then I would still have come... And surrendered.”

He gasps softly, before snorting in disbelief. Sure, he knows Harry values him a lot, but no way is his opinion that important to him.

“I guess you say that to all the boys,” he lamely attempts to joke, only to have Harry move them around until he has no choice but to look him directly in the eyes.

“Only the ones I’m in love with,” without breaking eye-contact, he takes hold of one of his hand and bring it to his mouth and presses a kiss on his knuckles


	4. Harry (Run Boy Run)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the end of this story. I must say I am a bit sad to see it go, but still really happy to be able to add one more story to the done list :D
> 
> We are finally at the beginning of this verse not that you couldn't already have a guess as to what will happen in this chapter.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this my darlings :)

“Let me guess, while Arthur understand my recommendation to use lethal force, she feels the situation would benefit if it was dealt in a less violent way.”

He doesn’t bother looking up from research he’s been doing for Percival’s next mission. It’s all he’s been doing since he’s been out of the infirmary, still not having been clear for active duty and because everyone is buried under work and any help is welcomed. He’d far more prefer doing anything else, even training the bloody recruits, but Arthur has made it clear it was either research or being benched entirely.

“Harry...” Merlin obviously wants to say more, but Harry doesn’t give him the time.

“No Merlin, while I appreciate her delicate position, she needs to understand that some situation calls for something else than a gentle tap on the fingers. Especially right now with the world in such a disarray. And if she doesn’t want to hear about it, than she shouldn’t ask for my opinion on the way to handle the assignments.”

Because she had been the one to come to him in the first place. He had been perfectly happy only doing research and the odd handling job for the other Knights, without having a say in the decision making.

Not that he really has any now, because every time he suggests a course of action, Arthur dismisses it and goes with her original plan.

“Would you prefer not getting those reports anymore?”

Harry actually takes a moment before answering.

Of course it angers him that Arthur ask for his opinion only to ignore it, but he can’t honestly he doesn’t appreciate having the knowledge of everyone’s assignments at any given time.

Not that the Knights incurs any true risks, not with how Arthur runs things, but now he doesn’t have to work to collect all the pieces to be able to see the big picture. He’s being handed all that has been collected by Kingsman without any hesitation.

If only he could _act _on any of it.__

__“I would prefer going back on the field.”_ _

__“You still haven’t been cleared by the psychologists,” Merlin replies easily, rolling his eyes. It’s not the first time they’ve discussed this point of their current conversation and, for once, they both agree that giving Harry a clearance high enough to rival Arthur’s but not allowing back on the field was asking for trouble._ _

__Kingsman is lucky that unlike a mere year ago, Harry now has people keeping him in place beside Merlin._ _

__That isn’t to say Merlin couldn’t rein Harry in if it came to it, but depending of the situation, he might not actually try all that hard to stop Harry._ _

__“Yes, I know. They fear my judgment is still somewhat affected by what happened to me.”_ _

__“Is it not?”_ _

__Has it been anyone but Merlin asking, Harry wouldn’t have dignify the question by an answer. But his friend isn’t implying anything by it, is merely curious about Harry’s self-assessment._ _

__And the thing is, Harry knows that, after what happened at the church, be it the trauma of want he was forced to do or an after effect of the chip combined with being shot in the head, he isn’t quite the same as before he landed in Kentucky. Knows that he is more prone to violence than before._ _

__However, the fact that he _knows_ it also means he is even more careful not to go with his first impulse, means that, especially since he is not asked to make instant decisions on the field, he will be thinking everything through, looking at all possible outcomes the different kind of interventions they can enact will have on a situation. When he suggest a more heavier approach, it is because there is simply no better one._ _

__He doubts he would be as considerate on a mission, but in all honesty, none of the Knights are._ _

__“Put the others through the same tests and ask them to be honest,” is what he ends up saying after a long silence._ _

__Merlin doesn’t say anything in return, simply nodding before leaving his office. Nothing in his expression betrayed what he thought before walking out, but Harry knows him well enough to know his friend will be pondering his words for a while before, hopefully, coming to the same conclusion as he did._ _

__That Harry isn’t any more violent than the other Knights, he simply care far less about hiding it now._ _

__*_ _

__Harry finishes the last intel report on a certain Mr. Abbott for what will be Bors mission and takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down._ _

__This is obviously an assassination matter, but he has no doubt that their current Arthur will still ask Bors to try and stop the mark through more legal means. No doubt that Bors will manage to find incriminating evidences, but by the time he does, the mark will have made damages that could have been prevented if only they would have been allowed to act more swiftly._ _

__It is a waste of resources they cannot allow after the way the world has gone to shite since V-Day, not that Arthur seems to care._ _

__He wishes he could make her see that while her way has merits, it doesn’t change the fact that sometimes they do need to get their hands dirty. They aren’t there to be guardians of morality, but to ensure that innocents can continue to live their lives in blissful ignorance of everyone hell-bent on destroying the world and relatively safe from criminals who profits on pain and destruction. Arthur is so focused on the means employed that she has lost sight of their true objective._ _

__Unfortunately, there is nothing he can do except to continue getting on her case and hoping she’ll come to her senses. She’ll have to sooner rather than later, because while no Knights have an issue following orders, they also know when said orders are rubbish. So far they’re not saying much of course, letting the new Arthur the time to adapt to her new role, even though Harry fears the adaptation period as been and gone a couple of months ago already._ _

__He’s distracted from his gloomy thoughts when his glasses chimes and he smiles when he realises just who is contacting him._ _

__“Galahad, aren’t you supposed to be on a mission?”_ _

__“Nope, just finished, I’m on my way back to the shop.” There is obvious pride in the boy’s voice and Harry shares in the sentiment entirely. Since he’s been made a Knight, Eggsy has completed every missions that have been thrown his way in record time and with an ease that impresses Harry himself._ _

__And while it still kind of stings that they gave his title away, no matter that it was when they were not yet aware he had survived being shot in the head, he couldn’t have asked for a better successor._ _

__“Good work Galahad,” he smiles when he hears the quiet sound of pleasure Eggsy can’t quite suppress at the praise, only regretting he can’t see the flush that is sure to spread on his cheeks._ _

__“So I was thinking, to celebrate my success, maybe you would like to have dinner with me tonight? I’m babysitting Daisy, but you know she adores you.”_ _

__Of course he knows it and the feeling is quite mutual. The little girl simply is a delight to be around, the best way for Harry to remember why everything they are doing is important and why he hasn’t given up yet._ _

__She is the only one he would choose to protect over Eggsy if it ever comes to this. Partly because he loves her that much, partly because he knows Eggsy can take whatever is thrown his way head on, but mostly because he knows his boy would never forgive him if he knew he could have protected his sister and had chosen not to._ _

__To be honest, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself either._ _

__“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, dear boy,” he ends up replying._ _

__“Aces! See you at my house around seven?”_ _

__“It’s a date,” he smiles when he hears Eggsy’s delighted chuckle before he ends the call and thinks that tonight might very well be the night they stop dancing around each other and actually do something about their mutual attraction._ _

__Of course with Daisy around it can’t possibly go very far, but Harry can at the very least get away with a goodnight kiss before leaving._ _

__It will be enough to go by until they have a proper date._ _

__Even if there is still a few hours to kill before their date, Harry take the decision to leave now. This way he can take his time to go home and change into something more comfortable and also to make a quick stop at that bakery Eggsy adores._ _

__He has just finished tidying up his desk when his glasses chimed with an update on Mr. Abbott from the technician in charge of remotely monitoring his computer. Without thinking about it, he sends it to his computer, sitting back down, expecting to need only to scribble a few more notes on the intel report and be done with it all in about fifteen minutes._ _

__That is until he opens the files attached to the message sent and he freezes in place for a long moment, staring at the pictures._ _

__The girl must be around Daisy’s age and there ends any resemblance, but it doesn’t matter to Harry. That man is about to ruin an innocent and he knows that if he doesn’t take action himself, that little girl is doomed._ _

__It makes him sick to think that Chester King, for all of his sins, wouldn’t have hesitated for a second to compromise months of work if it had meant saving a child, but that their new Arthur, the very one who pretends to be above all reproach, would let an innocent suffer such a fate as the one that waits for her if they don’t act swiftly. Because he knows her orders for Bors won’t be any different, even in lights of this new development. She operates under the illusion that as long as her agents haven’t been directly responsible for death and destruction that her hands are free of blood._ _

__After years upon years of being a spy, Harry has an intimate knowledge that it doesn’t work that way. Inaction makes them even more guilty than anything they could do and Harry is done with feeling guilty._ _

__His only regret is that he won’t have his date with Eggsy, not now, probably not ever. He doesn’t have any illusions that his dear boy will approve of what he’s about to do and it breaks his heart to think of the hurt he’ll cause him, because there is no coming back from the road he’s about to take._ _

__“I’m sorry Eggsy,” he whispers to the empty room, not bothering to close his computer before leaving._ _

__Let them all see what made him snapped and maybe, just maybe, one of them will come to their senses too._ _


End file.
